Wash-Testing Tips

Nov 1, 2007

Undercured screen prints, such as the one shown here, suffer from color loss and cracking after repeated washes.

There are many tests to verify that the plastisol ink on a garment is cured properly, but the best gauge is the wash test. When ink on a dark-colored shirt is fully cured (or fused), it will not crack or lose its color. When wash-testing light-colored garments, expect a slight color loss after the first wash (approximately 5%). But after future washes, there should be no color loss. If the print continues to lose color, the ink probably is not cured properly.

Be sure that what you see as color loss is not actually fibrillation, where the fiber of the garment is standing up through the ink. The best way to check this is by using a 5x or 10x magnifying glass. If the color of the ink looks strong through the magnifier and a lot of fiber is standing up through the print, it is a fabric problem, not a print problem.

Ink cracking usually is not a factor on light-colored garments unless very coarse mesh is used for the print. Wash-testing should be a mandatory part of quality control programs in large shops, and should be done in smaller shops with any large orders. — Information provided by Charlie Taublieb, Taublieb Consulting, Greenwood Village, Colo.

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